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Friday, April 8, 2011

TOS Review Science Weekly

What are we reviewing today? A science supplement called Science Weekly. As part of this review with The TOS Crew, we were given the opportunity to review Science Weekly. We received the edition on The Flu in six levels with a Teaching Notes. All in vivid color and fun illustrations. Each issue is filled with information on a specific topic and includes activities, experiments, storytelling, math, vocabulary, a challenge section, and a bringing it home section. These are all designed to support the central theme of the edition you choose. These remind me of a magazine or a newspaper for kids. Short, to the point articles make them a quick read and the information gets absorbed through the activities.

If you are curious to see what I am describing, head on over to this page and scroll down to the bottom. You'll see "Sample Issue", click on it and see what it's like.

Here's a little from their website:

Science Weekly is a curriculum supplement that offers an interdisciplinary and inquiry approach to enhance teachers¹ knowledge and skills in teaching science and literacy.

Each issue of Science Weekly ascribes to the national science standards. Each topic is written at six reading levels (K–6) in diverse science content that provides the opportunity for students to exercise their curiosity about the world around them.

If you head over here, you can view the interactive editions they have online. To find out about pricing check this page. You can buy these for $19.95 per student per year for 15 issues. A Classroom rate is $4.95 per student per year for 15 issues.

My thoughts? These seem to be geared more toward a classroom setting. It was usable for our homeschool but I don't think we would get the intended benefit from them. I can see how being able to buy them individually would be helpful in supplementing studies that you already have going but I don't think I would use them on a weekly basis. I think they would be great in a Co-op setting where there are more than just one family worth of kids in the room. ;-D It is helpful that the age range is from Kindergarten all the way up through 6th grade, that way if you use these at home everyone can be studying the same thing.

Here are some topics they have covered:

While I wouldn't probably use them in our homeschool, they could be a perfect fit for another family. If you want to know what other Crew members thought, head on over to The Crew Blog and check them out.

2 comments:

My boys had fun with the science labs included, but $19.95 per child is just too much for me to spend on an extra. Maybe if I could find 20 other kids interested in sharing a subscription so that it was only $4.95 per child.

The Starfish Story

While walking on the beach one day, I saw a Starfish by the shore. And everywhere I looked it seemed, I saw a thousand more. Then what to my surprise appeared? A boy of nine or ten. And as the Starfish washed ashore, he threw them back again. "One Starfish won't make a difference son; You can't change this situation." He stooped and picked up one more Starfish, then looking right at me, "I can make a difference for this one, sir" and returned it to the sea. So I went and gathered all my friends, my brothers and my cousins. We joined in with that little boy and saved Starfish by the dozens. There are still many to be rescued-many "Starfish" on life's shore. And you can make a difference too...by saving just one more. C.C. Milbrandt